Grandmother leads 3 generations in getting tattoo to raise mental health awareness (2024)

The Irish Countrywomen’s Association meeting in Greystones took an unexpected turn this week when long-time member Rita Fitzpatrick turned up.

The 84-year-old took her seat in Thursday’s craft class at St Patrick’s Church community centre, started to crochet, and then rolled up her sleeve to reveal her freshly inked arm.

“Oh lord, they were all around me,” the Wicklow grandmother said. “I don’t know whether they thought I’d lost my head or not, but it was the topic of conversation for the afternoon.”

Fitzpatrick celebrated her upcoming birthday by getting a small love heart tattoo on the top of her left arm. She was joined by her 52-year-old daughter, Sam Donohoe, and 16-year-old granddaughter, Hazel Donohoe, who also had their first tattoos.

They were the first to take part this year in JC Foundation’s tattoo drive, an annual fundraiser at The Ink Factory in Dublin to raise awareness for mental health and suicide prevention. “Mental health touches everybody, young and old,” Fitzpatrick said. “That’s why we thought it was a good idea for the three of us to do it.”

Fitzpatrick said she went through a stage of depression when her children grew up and moved out of home. She found an outlet in the Delgany guild of the Irish Countrywomen’s Association and the support its members offered.

“I know what it’s like to be down, to be depressed,” she said. “In my day we hid the thing, you didn’t talk about it. But things are changing. It’s better that it’s out in the open now. Hiding away doesn’t cure anything and it’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

JC Foundation was set up after the suicide death of 33-year-old John Connolly, the founder of The Ink Factory, in 2016. John’s brother and campaign organiser, Rob Connolly, said the heart design was selected this year as a symbol of love and empathy for people suffering with mental-health issues. In previous years hundreds of people have had the words “hope”, “self-love” and “be kind” tattooed.

This year the foundation aims to raise €20,000 to fund 365 free therapy sessions for young adults. A team of 15 volunteer tattoo artists will ink the love-heart design in return for a €50 donation.

Sam Donohoe said she was immediately struck by the campaign’s message and thought it would be a novel way to celebrate her mother’s 85th birthday. “We’d been racking our brains to think of something nice to do for mum’s birthday next week,” she said. “I think she expected tea in the Shelbourne and instead she got a tattoo. But hey, anybody can have tea in the Shelbourne.”

Fitzpatrick said she was proud of her new tattoo but that it was unlikely a second one was in her future. “It’s so easy, you don’t feel it all,” she said. “But I’m not exactly planning another one. I had to wait until I was 85 years old to get a tattoo — no fool like an old fool.”

The tattoo drive takes place today at The Ink Factory on 15 Wellington Quay and at 19 Parliament Street in Dublin’s Temple Bar from 11am to 7pm.